Foreign Relations of the United States Diplomatic Papers, 1941, The British Commonwealth; The Near East and Africa, Volume III

842.20/192

The Canadian Legation to the Department of State¹

July 1, 1941

1. The Canadian Government desire to establish a Canadian Military Mission in Washington, and wish to secure the approval of the Government of the United States for this course.

2. The proposal has already been communicated to the United Kingdom Government, and has been discussed with the representatives of the United Kingdom Chiefs of Staff who are now in Washington.

3. The Canadian Government feel very strongly that the recommendations concerning their representation in Washington which were made in the ABC² Report (Western Hemisphere Defence Plan No. 1) are inadequate. They consider that problems of joint action in the western Atlantic, and possibly in the eastern Pacific, can best be handled by the establishment of a separate organization rather than by any method of Canadian representation on the United Kingdom Mission. The activities of a Canadian Mission would be primarily directed towards these problems.

4. The Canadian Government would consider the possibility of appointing as members of a Canadian Military Mission the Service members of the Canadian Section of the Permanent Joint Board on Defence.

5. The Canadian Government would be most happy to receive a similar United States Military Mission in Ottawa.

6. The Canadian Government are intimately concerned in any questions affecting the defence of Newfoundland, and hope that consideration of any such questions as between the United Kingdom Mission and the United States authorities will be deferred until adequate Canadian representation has been arranged. It will be recalled that these matters are covered by the Protocol between the Governments of the United Kingdom, Canada and the United States of March 27, 1941,³ and are under consideration by the Permanent Joint Board on Defence.

7. Pending the approval of the United States Government for the establishment of a Canadian Military Mission, and in the interim period before the Mission can be established, the Canadian Service Attachés in Washington will maintain the closest possible liaison with the British Mission. It is hoped that the United States authorities will agree that they should attend joint meetings between the British Mission and the United States Service Departments. If this is acceptable, it will be Understood that the Canadian Service Attachés are acting in their capacity as such, and not as members of the British Mission.

1. Handed to Mr. John D. Hickerson, Assistant Chief of the Division of European Affairs, by Mr. Hume Wrong, Minister-Counselor of the Canadian Legation, oh July 1.
2. American, British, and Canadian.
3. See bracketed note, p. 85.